


The Oracle

by jupiterwrites



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: BAMF Reader, Gen, Multi, Oracle!Reader, Selectively Mute Link (Legend of Zelda), Sidon is a dork, Tags May Change, a little link/reader, as a treat, as always, i might make this poly but it all depends, just finished botw and i need to write something or i’ll cry, ooo you can see the futurreeee, they/them pronouns for reader
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-03
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:08:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 21,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27370954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jupiterwrites/pseuds/jupiterwrites
Summary: Even after the defeat of Calamity Ganon, the world remained paranoid. So many times had they defeated the evil, and so many times had it come back. The legends melted away after the fall of the champions one hundred years ago, and the citizens of Hyrule could no longer turn to them for guidance.So, they turned to you.Or: Gender-neutral reader is an Oracle. The power has been passed down for generations and it lays upon them. They can feel something dark laying over Hyrule, but Calamity Gannon is long since defeated. Can they find it in time?
Relationships: Link & Mipha (Legend of Zelda), Link & Reader, Link/Reader, Maybe??? - Relationship, Prince Sidon/Reader, Zelda & Reader
Comments: 23
Kudos: 94





	1. Chapter 1

Even after the defeat of Calamity Ganon, the world remained paranoid. So many times had they defeated the evil, and so many times had it come back. The legends melted away after the fall of the champions one hundred years ago, and the citizens of Hyrule could no longer turn to them for guidance.

So, they turned to you. 

  
  


From a very young age, you always knew something was  _ different. _ You could never quite place or understand the feeling, but sometimes when making important decisions or choosing what to say, a gentle prodding made its way up your skull. ‘ _ This one! This is right, this is the way.’  _ Echos of affirmation in an oddly familiar voice that no one else could hear. But, it always seemed to help those in need, so you were keen to listen. 

One day, when you were no older than ten years old, your parents had a stranger come into the house. She wore all white, with a thin veil covering her eyes. She met your gaze, and you  _ knew.  _

You were the same. On some level deep down you resonated with each other. You had something in common that was so engrossed in who you were that it sent shivers through your body. The voice reverberated louder, calling her to you and you to her. She stretched out her hand, palm up, and you put yours in hers. A bright light swallowed you, and everything became clear. You finally knew.

You were an Oracle. 

  
  


—————

  
  


You sat in Hyrule castle, at the left hand of the Queen. Your robes were loose and light, that same white color as the woman who gave you your answer nearly a decade ago. You kept your head bowed as Queen Zelda addressed her court, Link at her right. They were currently discussing the reconstruction of Hyrule, what with a century of abandonment to many of its cities and people. Ever since this meeting had begun, there had been a buzzing in the back of your skull. It spread around your scalp and pulsed at your temples, but you fought back the urge to put your head into your hands. You were currently surrounded by the ambassadors of the different domains and remaining civilizations, you had to remain proper. Besides, it was most likely just a headache from staying awake long into the morning hours with Zelda, reading and studying about the years that had transpired while she was trapped with Ganon, and before you were born. 

Zelda often keeps you and Link by her side. While you had known the Queen for a significantly less amount of time than the champion had, you had bonded over the shared burden of having a divine power bestowed upon you from a young age. In your time with Link, he had taught you simple defense maneuvers. As the Oracle, almost all of your concentration had to be in the present, focusing on harnessing any sign or signal you could grab onto to help decipher the coming days or even years. He fretted enough about Zelda not being able to fight on her own, but now that he had two incredibly important people to guard, he felt he was going to have a heart attack. You weren’t given a weapon- many were too heavy or didn’t sit right in your hands, with the added fact that you really weren’t supposed to wield anything that could hurt you in return (keeping your body whole was apparently a big part of the job). Link taught you pressure points and how a two-fingered jab to the right place could bring even Lizalfols to the ground. He promised he’d be at your back in an instance, but it made him and you more confident with some experience under your belt.

The buzzing grew louder and stronger with every passing minute, and you shifted to tuck your feet in on the seat of your chair to ball yourself in tighter. The haze that normally accompanied oncoming migraines wasn’t present, so you shoved it aside and blamed it on exhaustion. You tried to listen past the incessant noise, and to Zelda’s words. 

“Even with Ganon defeated, some of the Malice it left behind continues to scorch the land. It isn’t hard to combat, but we will need a large group to cover all of the domains.” Zelda spoke, fingers interlaced atop the table. “Link recommended a force of five for each pool, as some of them can build and expel monsters out of nowhere.” Link nodded at her side, arms folded across his chest. He brought his hands forward to speak, fingers fluttering. 

“ _ They aren’t difficult and won’t do much damage to your person- but they are quiet. It’s always helpful to have someone watching your back.”  _ He signed, an interpreter relaying his words towards the other end of the table. The ambassadors nodded, and a Zora woman raised her hand to speak. 

“We have stationed guards along different trade routes to ease the journey of the travelers coming to our domain, and there have been reports of Malice pools growing from the ground. I believed they were isolated to the Divine Beasts and to the different shrines and towers. Do you know why they are coming about?”

You looked up to her, and a lump caught in your throat. The way herred scales glimmered in the remaining sunlight was painstakingly familiar, and the more you looked the more the lump grew. It had been the only time you’d raised your gaze the entire meeting, and she- as well as some other ambassadors- took notice. She met your gaze and offered a small smile. 

And that’s what did it. 

You let out a sharp gasp and clutched at the fabric in front of your chest, all the pain in your head suddenly shooting down to your heart. It felt like something was  _ strangling  _ the organ, a tight grip that squeezed and pulled and  _ hurt.  _ Your vision began to black out as you heard voices all around you. Someone put their hand on your shoulder and another barked at them to  _ stop, leave them be!  _

The pain in your chest spread through your shoulders and back, down your spine and arms and back up to your skull. Your throat burned like you had been swallowing saltwater and nausea crept into your belly. You saw red, a bright crimson in your peripheral vision fading into blue, into brown. You heard the roar of a Divine Beast and felt it’s anguish. The ground shook with it’s fury and your vision cleared. You looked up and found yourself in the Zora domain, soaked through and surrounded by fleeting citizens. You stayed still, watching in awe as Vah Ruta rampaged through the domain, the marble and stone cracking beneath its feet. It stomped over the throne and it crumbled beneath its weight like a mushroom. The water at your bare feet turned red and sticky with blood, and Vah Ruta turned its massive head to you. 

You met its eyes as its trunk lifted high into the air, a ball of energy building between its tusks. You were frozen in place, fear rooting you in your spot as you stared down a machine that easily aided in the defeat of Calamity Ganon. It whirred menacingly and fired at  _ you.  _ The screams and cries silenced, there was nothing left but the beam. Blue and white flooded your vision, then red again. So much red that it faded into black, only two glowing eyes remained. Ganon’s eyes. It gurgled in the silence and unhinged its mouth, pure Malice dripping onto the floor and onto you. You cried out as it burned your hands, and you watched in horror as it spread up your arms and chest. You were covered in Malice- no, the  _ entire world  _ was covered, infected, and dying slowly beneath the surface. And all it took was one pool near the far terminal in Vah Ruta. You blinked the pain away as you traveled with the Malice, one with it now. You saw it tearing apart wires and cogs beneath the surface, reworking the machine to how it saw fit. All it took was one beast, and the world would decay. 

Something grabbed your wrist and pulled you from the Malice, and when you crumpled with exhaustion they caught you. They held you and rubbed your back as you sobbed into their shoulder. A hand pressed between your shoulder blades and warmth followed. 

_ Look at your hands,  _ they said into your ear. A girl’s voice, a slight lilt underneath her tone.  _ It’s going to be okay, you can go home.  _

You brought your hands into your vision, and saw the Malice fading away along with a soft blue light. You peeled away from her shoulder and looked into the eyes of Mipha. Her expression was tense and filled with worry. 

_ If Vah Ruta loses control, then the world will crumble.  _ She spoke softly, taking your hands into hers.  _ I am afraid I won’t be able to calm her, please-  _ tears pricked at her eyes and trailed down her cheeks. 

_ Find my brother. _

  
  
  
  
  


You open your eyes to find yourself on the floor. The light burned your eyes, and the shape of Zelda above you was blurred and fuzzy. She called out your name in relief, helping you sit up. 

“Are you alright- what happened? Do you need a medic!?” She fretted, and you shook your head. Your hands were also shaking, and you would guess your entire body was trembling by the way the ambassadors were looking at you. They stood at a distance, and you learned why as you looked up at Link. He was stood up with his back to you and Zelda, sword drawn and in a slight crouch. You guessed when you collapsed the ambassadors and guards rushed to your aid, only to be stopped when the Champion took your guard. You would have to thank him later, but there were more important matters.

Ignoring Zelda’s questions and worries, you leaned up and grabbed Link’s hand. He spun around immediately, eyes wide. He knelt to your level, hand never leaving his sword. 

“We- we need to-“ Your voice shook as you stuttered, and groaned in frustration as the words almost refused to come out of your mouth. Link’s eyes were patient, but you looked down to break his gaze. “Vah Ruta, the Domain- we need to go there, immediately.” You sucked in a breath as you tried not to hyperventilate, panic seeping into your skin as you remembered the blood-slick floors. “Vah Ruta is going to loose control and- and attack the Domain.” 

Gasps of shock rang throughout the room, and tension quickly began to build. The ambassadors rushed to speak to each other.

“Vah Ruta? But didn’t the Queen fix it after the Calamity!?”

“My home- my domain! What are we going to do?”

“How is this happening? Is it an omen?”

A Rito ambassador knelt beside Link, who gave him a side eye and clutched the sword tighter. The bird took no notice, all of his attention on you.

“Will the remaining Beasts also rampage? Do we need to be prepared as well?” He demanded, panic thick in his voice. Before you could answer, his panic was well shared.

“The rest of the Divine Beasts?! Oh, Goddess!”

“If Vah Naboris rampages again, Gerudo Town will crumble!”

“Oracle, what did you hear- what did you see!?”

“Please, what is going to happen?”

“Are we doomed again? Is Ganon coming back-“

“ _ Enough! _ ” Zelda cried, standing sharply as her voice cut through the room. They all turned to face her, wide eyed and scared. She took a breath and smoothed out her dress before addressing them again. 

“The gift of Foresight is an exhausting one, please allow them to collect themselves before answering your onslaught of questions! Clearly it was a traumatic experience, as they were shaking and sobbing not minutes ago!” She declared, and you felt heat rush to your cheeks.  _ Shaking and sobbing?  _ Oh, what a first impression on some of the most important people in the four domains. Zelda held out her hand to you, snapping you out of your embarrassment and helped you stand. Her hand then came to your shoulder and turned you away from them and across the room. She waved for Link to follow. She held both of your arms as she walked to face you directly, Link at her shoulder. 

“Alright,” She said, sighing. “Honestly, they had no right swarming you like they did.”

“It’s alright, your Highness. I’m sure I would do the same in their position, hearing something as startling as a Divine Beast losing control and running through a domain.” You folded your hands and held them near your stomach, trying to ground yourself. “I should go and explain my vision, they need to-“

“ _ No, _ ” Link signed, his first two fingers and thumb pinching together. “ _ They will only stress you out more, you’re already unwell. _ ”

“But they need to know! We need to travel to the Domain as soon as possible!” You furrowed your brow as you spoke. “It’s going to happen soon, and the Zora need to-“

“That’s why  _ I  _ will tell them, and you go rest as much as you can.” Zelda said calmly, rubbing your arm in a soothing motion. “Tell me what you saw, and I’ll relay the information so you and Link can start getting ready. You’ll leave first thing in the morning.”

“ _ You won’t be coming? _ ” Link asked, and Zelda shook her head. 

“Hyrule still needs a leader. I can talk to you both through the Slate, and offer any assistance you may need.” 

You bit at the corner of your lip. The air felt heavy and your chest was still tight from the lingering effects of your vision. Zelda was right though, as she always was. You needed to prepare. 

“...alright,” You whispered, and they turned back to you. “If you’re sure.” 

“Of course. Now sit down and give me just a moment.” Zelda led you back to where you were sitting before and you eased yourself onto the cushion. You tucked into yourself as the ambassadors looked at you, feeling like a luminous stone at midnight under their gaze. Zelda gathered their attention and began to explain what would happen, that they should return to their rooms until called down to hear the explanation, and Link stood in front of you. 

“ _ You have no reason to be nervous, it will just be me and Zelda. _ ”

“I’m not nervous.” You countered, looking up at him. “I’m just-“

“ _ You are, and it’s okay. _ ” He interrupted, and your mouth clipped shut. “ _ There’s nothing wrong with it, but I want you to know you’ll be safe. I’d never let anything near you that wasn’t welcome. _ ”

“I saw that earlier,” You chuckled, and a soft smile spread across Link’s face as well. “You had your sword out and everything, it’s like you were staring down a hoard of Bokoblins.” You playfully jabbed at his stomach, which he sidestepped with ease. 

“ _ It almost was, you should’ve seen the Gerudo. She almost grabbed you herself. _ ” You giggled a little, covering your mouth. When your laughter subsided, you looked at him seriously. 

“Thank you. For- for always protecting me. I’m sorry if I put any more stress on you, you deserve a break after fighting the calamity.” He waved you off, scoffing slightly. 

“ _ Believe me, this is a vacation. I can’t stand still for the life of me, much less take a vacation. Can you imagine me, relaxing? It doesn’t fit right. _ ” He made a face of disgust and stuck his tongue out. You smiled fondly. 

“You’re right, it doesn’t. But any moment you need to take a break or even just sleep in a little longer, do so. I don’t want you burning yourself out on my account.”

“ _ I think I took enough of a nap when I was in the Shrine of Resurrection, don't you think? _ ”

You shrugged, not knowing exactly what to say in response. Link was stubborn, and getting him to budge on anything was hard, but especially hard when it came to his health. You have had small blips of visions where Link was bleeding profusely or otherwise severely wounded but he kept going. You knew he would get nightmares of the calamity as you would get them too. Part of the glamorous life of an Oracle was near magical empathy, you could see and hear what someone was going through and live in that struggle. It wasn’t something you loved, in fact sometimes it felt like an invasion of privacy, but sometimes it led to you helping those you cared for. You had talked to Link about his dreams and he opened up to you a little. The burden was worth it in the end, but you wished you could do more. Link and you continued to chat softly, and soon enough Zelda came back. Her smile was strained, and you swallowed hard. 

“So,” She began, clearing her throat. “They aren’t exactly thrilled with the fact that it won’t be coming from you directly, but they will live on” She looked back to where the door was swinging shut, the ambassadors now being escorted to their respective chambers. Hyrule Castle was one of the first things to be rebuilt, and more rooms and space was added for Hylian citizens to seek shelter in while the Kingdom was being rebuilt. It truly was a beautiful building, now that it was reformed to its proper glory. 

“Are you ready? We can take this slow.” She asked, and you nodded. She brought out her Sheikah Slate and opened a feature that allowed her to take notes, and looked to you to begin. 

“I- I was in the Zora domain. They were all fleeing rapidly, and shoving past me. Normally, when I have these visions, I can phase through what I need to in order to find what I need, but-“ Your hands shook again, and you squeezed them together. “I was really there, I felt them knock into me. It’s never been like that before.

“Many were injured, some were dead, but no one was stopping. I looked up and Vah Ruta was in the domain, thrashing about and destroying many of the pillars and making its way to the throne room, where I was.”

“ _ It wasn’t in the dam anymore? How could that happen? _ ” Link asked, bewildered. You shook your head. 

“I don’t know. I only saw it coming towards me, and then it-“ You held onto your neck, pressing into your muscles to ease the tension. “It fired it’s laser- the one it shot at Ganon. I think I- I might’ve  _ died,  _ there.”

Zelda clapped a hand over her mouth. The scalding hot feeling faded back into your chest where Vah Ruta had aimed, and you cleared your throat. 

“Then, when the world went dark, I was a part of the malice. I saw it corrupting the inside of Vah Ruta before Mipha pulled me out and healed me. She said she could no longer rein in the Beast, I think she’s been struggling for a while. Then-“ You looked up at Link, who met your gaze with an intense expression. 

“Then she told me to find her brother. I don’t know why, but when the Zora ambassador talked about Malice pools  _ growing,  _ that’s what shot me into the vision. I think- I think she’s right. I was a part of the Malice after Vah Ruta shot me, so that means-“

“Others might be too.” Zelda finished. “Those who were slain might have gotten sucked into the Malice and developed with it, that’s why it’s getting stronger.” She faced away for a moment, lost in thought. “This is… worrying, to say the least.” You nodded, and rubbed your face. 

“I’m so sorry, I wish I knew more.”

“No, you’ve done so much.” Zelda reassured, taking your hands away from your face. “Without you, we wouldn’t know this was even happening. Now,” She pressed a kiss to your forehead and helped you stand. “Go and rest, I’ll talk with the captain of the guard and the ambassadors. Link,” She turned to him. “Don’t let anyone stop you on your way. Make sure they get to their room safe.” Link nodded in return and took your arm. Zelda waved, and turned to a guardsman not too far off. 

Link walked with you, slower than his usual pace to match yours. He brought his arm away from yours for a moment to sign something to you. 

“ _ We can’t both use the travel gates at once, so we’ll be going on horseback. It won’t be an incredibly long journey, but I would bring clothes you would be comfortable riding in. _ ” He explained.

“Shouldn’t we leave now? We would get there by noon tomorrow if we went straight there.” You spoke softly, and Link thought for a moment. 

“ _ I’m not sure about that. We’ll have to go through a lot of diplomacy as soon as we arrive, you need to be well rested and recovered after what happened. _ ” He said, a frown creasing in his face. “ _ What if you have another vision at the Domain? You’d be exhausted. _ ”

“Link, please.” You took his hand, and moved your veil to look at him directly. Your hair fell from under your hood, and a slight flush moved it’s way up to Link’s ears. You never took off the veil and hood, it was a sign of protection from false guidance or spirits. He’s never seen your face without it. “I won’t be able to sleep even if we wait, let alone rest. I’ll go mad knowing we waited any longer than needed- people are going to  _ die,  _ Link.” You pleaded, and you felt his resolve begin to crumble. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“... _ fine. Fine, alright. But we’ll be taking one horse so you can sleep on the way, pack only what you truly need. We can get food there during the journey. _ ” You smile up at him, full of gratitude. You lift your hood back up and your face and rush forward to hug him tightly. The feeling is foreign to both you and him, Link not being incredibly touchy and you really weren’t supposed to touch people at all- keeping yourself pure and without too deep attachments that could risk severing your connection to the goddess and spirits. 

“Thank you.” You murmur into his chest, and let go afterwards. You adjust your robes, unable to meet his eye. “I’ll be ready in ten minutes, where should I meet you?”

“ _ I’ll come gather you. I don’t think you know where the stables are.”  _ He said, a bit of snark on his face. He was right, you didn’t, but he didn’t have to be smart about it. You shove him off and race to your quarters as well as one can when wearing floor length robes that draped and flowed nearly  _ everywhere.  _

As soon as you closed your door, you went to your wardrobe. You pulled a pair of trousers that weren’t so loose on you and set them on your mattress, as well as a warm tunic and a pair of gloves. You grabbed a pair of opal earrings Link had given to you a while back, he said they had some sort of magical property hidden within that made it easier to swim and climb in the rain. All of your clothes were some form of white or cream color to symbolize your purity and power, but in instances like this it made it more difficult to have proper outdoors attire. Well, you guess that many people when thinking of an Oracle don’t think of horseback riding and trudging through rough terrain. 

You removed your hood and veil once more, stripping off your robe and shirt underneath before your boots and pants. You pulled on the outfit you laid out, replacing your silk gloves with the leather ones and putting the earrings through. Your hood and veil were returned and you got on your knees to reach under your bed. 

You honestly had no reason to hide this anymore, you knew only Zelda, Link and the only maid you’ve spoken to were allowed in your room and they wouldn’t judge or criticize you for it, but old habits die hard. You pull the small wooden box into your lap and unlatch it, smiling fondly at what laid inside. 

It was a simple necklace on a thin chain and didn’t have much design. You didn’t wear much jewelry, and if you did it wasn’t often, but you almost never wear this for a completely different reason. You’d probably keel over and die on the spot if you lost it, or it was broken. The pendant that lay on the chain was in the shape of a star, four points that thinned out as they went with a small quartz stone in the center. The back of the pendant had your name engraved, followed by “ _ Forever in our sky”.  _ It had been a gift from your mother before you left to begin your training and honing your ability. The teachers and guides had tried to take it from you, saying that you must leave everything behind to serve your greater purpose, but you hid it. You figured your family wouldn’t keep you from serving the goddess and you were  _ right.  _ You clipped it on and slid it beneath your tunic before standing and grabbing your satchel that you came here with. 

In it you slid a pouch of rupees, two Hasty Elixirs (Link insisted on you taking them, in case you ever needed to run away from a battle.) and your spare set of prayer robes in case you would need them. You walked over to where your altar table was laid out and gathered the few gemstones that laid out in the corners, as well as the small crystal sphere you would roll between your palms to aid with smaller visions. You looked out over your room to confirm you weren’t missing anything, and slid your boots back onto your feet. You opened the door and was met with Link reaching to knock. You sniggered, and stepped aside. He sat on the bed and you shut the door. 

“ _ Got everything?”  _ He asked, and you nodded. He had changed out of his Champion’s tunic and into a red and black one you haven't seen before. A full quiver of arrows and a black bow rested above the darkness-sealing sword. He had a satchel as well, presumably for more arrows or weapons. He always liked to be prepared. 

“ _ I left a note for Zelda for when she comes looking for us in the morning. Hopefully she won’t be too angry. _ ”

“She will live on.” You said, mimicking her words from earlier which got a smirk out of Link. He turned and pointed to a trapdoor on your ceiling that you hadn’t noticed until this moment. 

“ _ We’ll go through the attic and jump down onto the walkway beneath. There’s an old railroad system beneath the castle that will take us to the main gate and out.”  _ He signed, hands moving almost quicker than you can read. “ _ It won’t be easy. _ ”

“Then let’s get going.” Your voice was full of determination, and you moved a bedside table underneath the trapdoor. “You go up first and then help me, you’re taller.”

_ “Man, I knew I liked you. _ ”

  
  
  
  


You clung onto Link’s waist as he urged his horse on over the bridge and into the woods. You looked over the night sky and the dwindling candlelight through the castle windows. “I’m sorry, Zelda,” You whispered, “But I can’t wait any longer.” You put your head on Link’s shoulder and closed your eyes, hoping to catch some sleep before hell broke loose. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You are close to the domain now, but something tells you the path wont be easy.

You sat at a previously occupied Bokoblin camp, holding a meat skewer over the campfire as the sun slowly began to rise into the sky. Link threw some horns and fangs aside as he tested for the more durable of the bunch. He informed you he had already eaten when you were asleep and wouldn’t need anything else for a while, but you still cooked him an extra skewer and wrapped it in some parchment you had bought at a stable. While there, Link introduced you to a man named Beedle and went off to hunt for a while. Beedle recognized you immediately and shouted your title of Oracle loud enough for the entire stable to hear, which made you fidgety and embarrassed. You were honestly prepared to buckle down and do readings and visions for every traveler in the stable, but none came. They all seemed content with how they were living and had no need for the future. They were all just impressed with you, genuinely curious as to why you were so far from the castle and  _ how in the hell you handled it all.  _ It was a genuinely fun experience, and you even had some decent conversations that weren’t about your power or status, but soon enough Link came back, and you left. 

That was a few hours ago, it was nearing six in the morning now and you were a little over halfway to the domain. With every second that passed you felt yourself growing more tense and anxious, flashes from your vision coming in and out of your mind. Vah Ruta’s cry echoed in your ears as you watched the fire, trying to drown it out. You took a bite from your skewer, losing yourself in the motions of it all. Link came back to sit beside you, a topaz in hand. He wore a bright grin. 

“ _ That pale one dropped this, along with a couple other things. Isn’t that weird? _ ” He signed, putting the gem into your lap to use his hands. You nodded, swallowing your breakfast. 

“What’s the need for mining when you can hunt those?” Your throat bobbed uncomfortably as you spoke, and you cleared your throat. Link shrugged. 

“ _ They’re a little daunting to most travelers, and they’re kind of rare to see nowadays. I wouldn’t want to hunt them down if I didn’t have the strength I do. _ ” He picked at the underneath of his nails, dirt being lodged there after digging through monster parts. 

“And the Sword that Seals the Darkness, and the power of the Triforce.” You quipped, nudging him with your elbow. “Seriously, you’re an important person. You rival the queen and I with ease.” Link scoffed, and took a stick from nearby to nudge at the kindle burning in front of you two. You finished up your skewer and folded the parchment, putting it into your bag. When you turned back, Link had whipped out his Slate and was toggling with the screen. You inched closer to peer over his shoulder, watching his finger flick across a map of Hyrule. 

“ _ We’re right by the Sheh Rata shrine, so we’ve made good progress. _ ” He pinched and spread his fingers and the map enlarged, showing more detailed routes and roads. “ _ If we go south to this road here, it should take us straight to the domain. We’ll have to leave Walnut at Lanayru Tower, she hates the water. _ ” You looked over to the horse the two of you had been riding. She was peacefully munching at the grass beside the path. 

“Alright. How far is the domain from the tower then?” You asked, looking at the map once more. There seemed to be many winding pathways throughout the domain, and you wondered how Link even got through it in the first place. 

“ _ If we leave now, we’ll get there by nightfall. _ ” He shut off the Slate and stood, helping you to your feet as well. He kicked some loose dirt over the fire and grabbed his satchel before helping you mount Walnut once more. “ _ There might still be some monsters on the trail, so you’ll need to stay by me. And I mean it!”  _ He added on when you rolled your eyes. 

“Oh  _ fine.  _ Don’t let me explore, I don’t mind.” You said hotly, crossing your arms with playful sarcasm. 

“ _ The last time you ‘explored’, you near fell in a ditch and surely would have broken something.” _

“Hush and take us to the tower.”

  
  


———

  
  


“It’s so-  _ huge! _ ” You gaped up at Lanayru tower, shielding your eyes from the sun. Link nodded beside you, turning to his horse and patting her snout. She tossed her head and turned around, trotting back down the trail. You turned around in awe, and Link tipped his head back in laughter. 

“How is- does she know where she’s going?” You asked incredulously, and the blond returned your look. 

“ _ Yes? You thought I would have a horse and not train it to go home? She’s smart! _ ” He planted his hands on his hips and you looked back at Walnut. She was nearly over the hill now, completely confident even without a guide or rider. You let out a soft  _ huh,  _ and crossed your arms over your chest. “I guess so…”

“ _ Let’s get going. We can’t stop for long anywhere if we want to arrive before midnight. _ ” He waved at you to follow him as he started down the road, you jogging to catch up with him. You adjusted your veil and linked arms with him when he offered. You didn’t need the help up the road or around any of the mountains, but the pressure he put on your arm was grounding, keeping you in the moment instead of retreating back into your head. It was easier said than done, especially when every piece of stimulus could be a sign of a premonition or a guide from the Goddess. Zelda also had this issue after her powers were fully realized. Even if they were dwindled now, she was still incredibly powerful in her own right.

The path you took winded and twisted and was slick with mud. It was in this moment you wished you had shoes that weren’t stained white, but you could always wash them off later on. The only monster you had seen were those pesky Octorocks popping out of the water, which Link shot down with ease. You had mentioned this to him, and he shrugged. Maybe there weren’t any dangerous monsters on the hike after all. 

You wished you would have kept your mouth shut. You knew better than to temp fate. 

The two of you had turned a particularly sharp corner and came face-to-tail with one of the biggest Lizalfols you’d ever seen. It jumped in surprise, and Link grabbed your wrist to tug you back around the corner. He clapped a hand around your mouth to stifle your heavy breathing and held his own. You clutched onto his hand and squeezed your eyes shut. Link looked out of the corner of his eye and, after a long pause,  _ slowly  _ turned his head around the rock. 

He was looking the Lizalfols straight in the eye. It let out a low hiss and twirled its boomerang menacingly, clapping its jaw as saliva built in its mouth. It brought its horn to its mouth and blew, a loud ringing surrounding them and alerting the four behind it. 

This was not good. 

In the split second before the beast in front of him started to move, Link weighed his options. You were pressed against him, and in front of you was a sheer drop into a raging river, so pushing you out of the way to fight the thing was not an option. But, he would rather burn to death than fight it with you sandwiched between clashing blades. He blinked, and saw orange in his peripheral. He still had one shield from Daruk’s protection left that would work before crumbling to nothing but wisps of magic. It wasn’t the most appealing option, but it was the best he had. 

He took his hand from your face and pulled you both away from the wall, slamming his fists together as a gong-like ring echoed in his ears. The strange shape of Daruk’s protection surrounded you both, and Daruk’s cry reverberated through the mountains, his spirit coming forth and landing a thudding blow on the Lizalfols’ jaw. It flew backwards and slammed into a rock before going completely limp. Link grabbed your arm and threw you behind him, and you fell onto your backside. You gasped as the cold seeped through your clothes, the stone slick and rough. You looked up at Link to see his sword and shield drawn, already skidding towards their camp. He looked back at you for a moment, and then shouted. 

“Get out of here! Follow the path, I’ll catch up with you!” His voice was broken and strained from lack of use. It made it all the more compelling to head his command. Link rarely ever spoke, and you never pushed as to  _ why _ , but you knew damn well it was serious when he did. You pushed yourself to your feet and tore down the road, chest burning with the cold air you gulped down. The terrain wasn’t ideal for sprinting on, but fear drove you to keep going as fast as you could. Your heartbeat pulsed in your palms and a heat began to build in the bridge of your nose. You gripped the bone and winced as pain shot through you, but pushed it aside. Premonitions always liked to come at the worst of times, and you had absolutely no room to worry about what that could have meant. 

Because it's just your luck, Rain started pelting down above you, sticking your clothes and hood to your skin. Why not, you know? Being chased down by monsters twice your size wasn’t enough anyways. You shoved back your vail in hopes of it clearing your vision, but it didn’t prove to do much. You cursed to yourself, wiping the water from your face roughly. You slid to a halt as you came to a steep slope that would be treacherous to climb down even if it wasn’t pouring and you weren’t running for your life. You began gripping the mountain side next to you to slide down, hating your slowed pace. You let go of one hand and lost your grip- curse your shaking hands- and fell face first onto the floor. Your head bounced off the rock and the heat returned to your nose as you felt and heard it  _ crack,  _ the sickening feeling shooting lightning down your spine. You gasped as it became clogged and thick, dark blood oozed and puddled beneath you. So  _ that’s _ what the feeling was from before. Fantastic, you figured that out. 

You stumbled to your feet, head swaying and nearly tipping forward once more. Steadying yourself on a tree you wiped the blood that was now dripping from your nose onto your glove. You cursed again upon seeing the stain, and continued jogging forward. You looked over your shoulder, trying to make out anything in the rain. You couldn’t see Link’s silhouette, or a monsters, but you figured you should head towards the domain just in case he found a different route. You started sprinting again, only to be nearly impaled on a spear. Your hands instinctively grabbed onto the poll just below the blade, trying to push it away from your stomach. You looked up to see a Lizalfols towering over you, unfocused yellow eyes darting every which way before one landing on you. It yanked it’s spear back and jumped a few feet away, shuffling tauntingly. You slowly raised your fists, putting your weight into the balls of your feet. You had been taught close-quarters combat, if you were being kidnapped or held hostage. You had no idea what to do with bare hands against a serrated spear-head. 

It lunged for you, and you shook your head. Think, think  _ think!  _ A dull throbbing spread in the middle of your left shin and you ran with it, swinging your leg and kicking the shaft of the spear. It was knocked away from the Lizalfols and carried away by the river. You silently thanked the Goddess for her aid as the monster looked back at its weapon, gurgling in rage. It fell onto its arms and scurried towards you before you could react. It grabbed your ankle and ripped it from underneath you, and you fell for the third time in this endeavor. Its claws raked down your leg and pierced through your pants and skin. You groaned and kicked at it’s face, colliding your boot with its horn. It recoiled and you sat up, about to stand before it kicked you in your side. You coughed as the force spun you around and your legs dangled over the edge of the river. You scrambled at the wet grass and mud in front of you, desperately trying to stay on land as the river water sprayed at your feet. The Lizalfols hunched over you, eyes gleaming. It seemed to enjoy this moment, like it was revenge. You tossed its spear into the water, now it was going to do the same to you. It reared its claw to swipe at you, but an arrow then collided with its shoulder. Fire exploded from the arrow, burning the monster as it toppled back. Another arrow fired and burst into flames, hitting its stomach. It stopped writing on the floor, and merely slid a couple inches away. You breathed a sigh of relief, and tried to hoist yourself over the edge.

The wet ground beneath your fingers began to give way, and a scream crawled out of your throat. You scrambled to grab onto  _ anything  _ that would hold your weight, but it was proving useless. You heard footsteps around you and distinct voices as your vision began to go white, and a pair of hands grabbed your forearms. They hauled you over the edge and onto the road, sinking with you as your knees began to give out. You panted, clutching the fabric of your trousers as a hand gripped your shoulder. They pulled you away from them and you looked into the eyes of a Zora. He had deep blue scales and wore silver armor- a guardsman. He shook you slightly, and you realized he had been speaking.

“Are you alright?! That was quite the skirmish. I’m sorry I couldn’t get here sooner, my post is at the top of the opposing mountain.” His voice shook lightly, bright teal eyes flicking down and up your form. He took in your bleeding nose and calf, and the way you continued to cradle your side. His frown deepened, and he helped you rise slowly to your feet. 

“My name is Moven. I’m going to assist you to the domain so we can get you looked at, alright?” He asked, kneeling and pulling you to his back. You recoiled, head throbbing as you spun around. 

“No-“ You said thickly, near completely congested. “No- Link is still- still out there-“

“Link? As in the Champion?” Moven interrupted your stuttering, trying to get you to face him once again. His skin was cold, you shivered when it further dampened your clothing. “We saw him climbing through a back passageway when I was still at my post. Etij went to grab him and I came to assist you.” He looked out over the river, to the domain that was now poking through the mountains. “He might already be there, Etij is the fastest swimmer I know besides the prince himself.” 

You looked to Moven, and tried to push past the pain in the front of your face and concentrate. You weren’t getting anything negative from the Zora, only the need to  _ help  _ and  _ carry  _ and  _ make safe.  _ You shrugged, taking his hand when he offered it again. 

“If you’re sure- I- I need to see him immediately.” 

“Of course, your Grace. But, I would feel immensely better if you got some sort of medical aid.” He helped you onto his back and began slowly climbing down into the river. 

“Your Grace?” You asked, holding on tightly as the Zora tore through the water. You’ve heard of how well they could swim, what with being so close to fish, but it was even more impressive up close. Moven nodded as well as he could while trying to keep his back and head above water to keep you as dry as possible. 

“How else are you supposed to address the Oracle? I apologize if I was being improper in any way.”

“No, no, it’s just-“ You yelped as you went over a rapid. “I wasn’t expecting you to- to know who I am.” Moven chuckled to himself and slowed his pace a little. The rain was beginning to let up, and the domain was more visible now. 

“Well, when you’re wearing all white in a dark and wet climate, one could assume.” You hummed in response. That was fair. 

“Now, hold your breath for me! We’re going through a tunnel that’s underwater. It will make it much faster, I promise.” You hunched over to flatten yourself out as much as possible and took a deep breath before turning your head to the side and clenching your eyes shut. You felt the water break around you and the temperature dropped significantly. The water rushed by your ears and pulled the trail of your hood behind you like you were flying. You slowly opened your eyes and had to hold a hand over your mouth to keep from opening it in shock. Luminous stones shone brightly in the tunnel that almost looked like a hallway, and when you emerged from the passage you saw an entire city.  _ Underwater.  _ Zora swam quickly by you, and a couple children waved as their parents looked on in shock. There were many towers and windows that presumably led to housing areas along with a shorter building with children around the outside. A school, maybe? How was all this underwater?

Your lungs began to burn, and you tapped Moven’s shoulder rapidly. He took the hint, thankfully, and spun the two of you to propel you from the water. You shot through the surface, taking a huge breath and coughing. Moven swam to a ledge and went up many stairs before you recognized the domain from your books. It was beautiful, the fading daylight refracting off of the structure and illuminating the area without many additional torches or fires. Moven placed you on the ground so you could better catch your breath, and you were grateful for the lack of Zora on the surface. You looked up at Moven, swallowing another breath before you spoke. 

“Is all that below the domain also a- a part of it?” You asked, bewildered. The Zora nodded, and gestured around the area. 

“This is mainly shops and non-water bed inns, also where discussions can take place in the domain. We can live completely underwater- in fact some prefer it, but those without gills like yourself cannot.” A hand came to your back and he started off, you having to take two steps to match with his one. “Now come, let’s get you looked after.” You shivered lightly and nodded, grateful that you met such a kind Zora. They had that general representation, but you could have easily met a grumpy one that would have left you to freeze after killing that Lizalfols. 

You followed Moven into an upper part of the castle where you came across a door with markings you couldn’t read etched into it. He knocked twice before opening the door, and you saw another Zora tending to Link. She shot up when she saw you and Moven, and huffed.

“Another one!? How many injured Hylians are going to be scattered about?” She shook her head and grabbed your wrist and instructed you to sit next to Link. He smiled sheepishly at you and you returned the look. His right forearm was heavily bandaged and he had some sort of gel smeared under a black eye. You leaned your head on his shoulder, sighing. He brought his fist up to his chest and made a circling motion.

“ _ I’m sorry. If I would have acted faster you wouldn’t be hurt. _ ” You shook your head at the apology, looking up at him. 

“No, don’t be! You did well. And by that logic, if I would have used my Sight to see the Lizalfols before we rounded the corner, we could have taken a different path. So hush.” You said, and put a hand on his when he brought them up to sign again. “Hush, I mean it. You’re fine.” You promised, and turned your head to the Zora who began to wipe a rag under your nose. You winced as it aggravated the break, and the woman tutted. 

“GIve me one moment, alright? I think we have some truffles left over that you can eat so your nose won’t be snapped at the bridge.” She left the room, and you looked at Link with a furrowed brow. 

“Truffles?”

“ _ Sometimes when they’re cooked right, they have some sort of healing property. I don’t know either. _ ”

Link was right after all. You were given a cooked truffle, and as soon as it hit your stomach the pain in your nose ceased as you felt it right itself. You tapped it lightly, and felt no remaining pain. “Wow,” You murmured. “That’s incredible!”

“Yes, but like your friend here, it only really helped one injury. And we have scarce supply, so I’d prefer to just wrap your leg and let it heal on its own.” You nodded in understanding, and she went to work wrapping your calf. She looked puzzled at your still damp trousers, then looked back to you. 

“I’m sorry if this is an invasive question, but are you the-“

“Orlon!” Another Zora burst through the door, out of breath. The woman in front of you, now called Orlon in your head instead of just ‘medic lady’ jumped, and swore. 

“Hylia, what is it now?” She demanded, standing up. “I swear, if it’s another Hylian-“

“No, it’s the prince!” Orlon recoiled, taken aback.

“Prince Sidon is requesting an audience immediately with Link and his companion. Something is amiss with Vah Ruta!”

You and Link share a worried look. After all of this, were you still too late?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I genuinely like how this chapter turned out. Sorry about the cliffhanger, lol
> 
> Follow me on tumblr! @jupiterdrabbles
> 
> Comments make my day, I love you all! <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They meet at last. But heros are always shown with blood.

Prince Sidon wasn’t one for paranoia. He often tried to keep a level head when concerning the many political duties he had to oversee, whether it be with or without his father present. He was the next in line for the Zora throne, after all! Becoming overwhelmed with trivial matters was extremely improper for someone of his status. However, the issue that stood before him was anything  _ but  _ a trivial matter. 

Two nights ago, Vah Ruta had laid dormant upon her perch, laying idle pointing towards Hyrule Castle as if rearing herself in brace for another attack. Her gears long since turning, sitting restfully upon the rock. But now, as Sidon gazed upon the machine, all he saw were the storm of bubbles floating forth from the depths of the East Reservoir Lake. Vah Ruta was nowhere to be seen, and it caused a stress the Zora could feel in between his eyes to grow and pulse. The river was much darker than it had been a week ago, as if the lower bed was coated in something thick and black, turning the once beautiful water into a menacing pool that no pup would dare to go near. 

The machine had moved near silently in the night, which was strange considering its size. By that factor alone its footsteps should have alerted every Zora still above the water level of the domain. And climbing into the lake would have woken everyone up and brought the guards up to the surface. It was for sure a fairly deep conundrum, one that the prince would ponder for a while yet. Sidon yawned, jaw popping as he did so. The moon was climbing high into the night sky, gleaming over the lake and further into the domain. It brought an odd sense of tranquility over the Zora, and as he looked up he couldn’t help but be reminded of his sister. 

_ Mipha,  _ Sidon thought to himself, folding his arms over his chest. One claw tapped idly at his bicep.  _ Dear sister, are you still with Vah Ruta below the lake? Did it’s sudden resurgence tie you back to your duty?  _ He asked the moon wordlessly, feeling a heavy weight beneath his chest. He put a hand over it, feeling his heart thrum and pulse under his palm. He sighed and returned his gaze to the water below.  _ What would you do now, if you were beside me? _

Mipha was, as far back as Sidon could remember, a constant caring figure in his life. Every memory he still had as a pup she was in, by his side and offering reassurance. She was a solid figure in his childhood, and he would always go to her for advice. What Sidon wouldn’t give to have her beside him, guiding him through this situation. She would maintain a level head, make clear and rational decisions. She would wait until morning, then everyone would be well rested and ready to face the looming threat that lay beneath the water. 

Yes, he would wait until morning to alert the public of the situation. Now, he should probably meet Link halfway to guide him to the lake-

“Your Highness?” Sidon nearly lost his composure as an unfamiliar voice came from behind him. He whirled around to see Link, dressed in traveling gear rather than his blue tunic, and a figure in white. They both looked rather damp and slightly worse for wear. Sidon smiled despite this and rushed to meet up with his friend and his companion. It had felt like years since he had last seen the Hylian, and it ached in his bones with longing and a tad bit of worry. 

“Link, old friend!” He cried, surging towards the blond and scooping him up in a hug. “Oh, it’s been  _ ages _ ! How is life with Zelda?” Sidon planted Link firmly back onto his feet, pleased to see a warm smile on the other’s face. He brought his hands close to his sternum to begin talking when Sidon noticed something out of the corner of his eye. The figure from before, leaning a little closer to read Link’s sign. 

“Oh- he says it’s been calm, a little quiet for his taste.” Sidon furrowed his brow for a moment. A translator? Many of the Zora and Hylians knew by now that Sidon had taught himself Link’s language soon after the pair had met. He opened his mouth to communicate this fact, but one Hylian turned to another and it was a flurry of fingers that went too quickly for Sidon to read. He couldn’t quite see their face, but the figure beside Link recoiled for a moment, then nodded and turned back to the prince. 

They let out a nervous laugh, though it was still light and airy, calming and soothing and rang near  _ familiar  _ in his head. “I apologize, your majesty,” they began, hand coming to their chest as they dipped their head in a bow. “I’m used to having to translate for Link on our travels together when Ludia isn't with us, but I should have figured that someone of your caliber would have learned such a thing so quickly.” Their words were polite, but formal and bordered. They talked as if they were in a courtroom, surrounded by high officials and kings alike. A gloved hand (golden eyes darted to the glove- stained and smelling of iron and  _ soaked,  _ all he wanted to do in that moment was take them into his arms and let them relax. They seemed so rigid.) came up to their hood and pulled it down, and their eyes met his. “It’s nice to finally meet you, your Highness.”

Sidon nodded and looked over their form for a second. Even with the damage and stains in their clothing, they still looked much more formal standing next to Link. Head to toe in white-stained leather and a face seemingly haunted by time. Their eyes were old and tired, but kind all the same. Sidon saw Link look away in the slightest when the stranger had slid off their hood and revealed their eyes to them, as if out of habit. He seemed to hold them in a high regard, not unlike Zelda now. The Zora looked back at the stranger, took in their strange way of dress and posture, and it clicked. 

The Oracle- the goddamned  _ Oracle  _ was standing not three feet from him and had been for nearly ten minutes! Sidon had barely offered a ‘hello’ to them, and here they were apologizing to  _ him!  _ Oh Hylia, pray above… 

Sidon surged forward and took their hands in his (they were so  _ small  _ in his grasp) and fell to his knees. Here he was more at their eye level, and he could see the shock on their face, clearer bags beneath their eyes that etched years away from their life. Who knows how many terrible things they’ve seen? The urge deep within him to  _ care for  _ and  _ protect  _ grew with every moment as he felt their hands tremble. 

“Your Grace, I humbly ask for your forgiveness- I must admit I completely didn’t realize who you were!” Sidon cried, squeezing his hands around theirs even tighter. “You deserve the utmost respect, and I failed to give it to you. Please, allow me to redeem myself!”

The Oracle seemed to gather themselves, reeling from Sidon’s proclamation, before offering a gentle smile. They leaned forward in the slightest, talking in a soft voice that made the prince’s heart skip. 

“You’ve nothing to apologize for, nothing at all.” They pulled their hands from within Sidon’s own and placed them on top. “I understand completely, many often don’t know who I am without an introduction. Those who do are often frequent visitors to Hyrule Castle or have read the stories of my predecessors. Please do not bring yourself below me.” They guided Sidon back up from his knees and helped him stand, still a little bewildered. Sidon’s attention caught on Link, who was biting down on his knuckles to hide a snicker. The Oracle jabbed him with their elbow, and he snapped back to attention. They turned their attention back to Sidon, who was now  _ incredibly  _ aware of their hands still together. They kept their touch feather-light, as if hesitant to commit to the act of affection. 

“Now,” They began, looking behind Sidon to the river. “You wanted to speak with us about Vah Ruta?”

“Oh, yes!” Sidon nodded, the heavy feeling gone within an instant. He whirled around to gesture to the lake’s expanse, its surface now lapping much higher than it had done mere days before. The Oracle walked closer to the end of the dock and Link followed close behind. 

“Vah Ruta had stayed on the top of the mountain after the four divine beasts all fired at the Calamity. It’s as if it had completely powered off, not much different to the stone around it.” Sidon had recalled the feeling that burrowed into his chest while seeing it fire, bright and blinding even from the domain. The fear he felt for his friend, facing off against a pure amalgamation of evil. He shook it off to keep going in his recount of the previous few days. 

“But I was training here not two nights ago when I heard it come back to life. It thudded down the mountain, and sunk back into the river.” He looked down into the dark water, seeing not much but his own reflection staring back up at him. “When it was here before, it caused a constant rainfall to torment the domain that threatened to flood and tear through everything we had built. But, it’s done nothing of the sort. Just laid there. But I can’t shake the feeling that something’s gone wrong.” 

The Oracle’s shoulders slumped as they heaved a sigh of relief, Link looking to them with a strained smile. They both laughed together, the Oracle pressed a hand to their chest as they turned back to Sidon. He cocked his head in confusion at their reaction- this was very concerning, was it not? They were both acting incredibly strange.

_ “Sorry”,  _ Link began, shaking his head as he heaved another deep breath in and out. “ _ We were just very worried about the beast. We left with a lot of panic plaguing us.”  _

“Left? You knew about this beforehand?” Sidon asked, and they both nodded. 

“I had a vision. It-” They cut themselves off, looking down back into the water as if contemplating something. Slowly, their hands rose to their sternum and they undid the clasp of the hood and set it down on the dock below them. 

_ “ _ What are you doing?” Sidon asked carefully at the same time Link began to sign with his back toward the prince, focused on the Oracle. They didn’t answer, instead removing their gloves and boots, as well as the satchel around their torso before setting it all in a neat pile. 

“I’m going to see Vah Ruta.” They said, as if it were nothing, and sat on the dock to swing their legs into the water. “It’s at the bottom of the lake, right? It can’t be that deep.”

“Your Grace, please!” Sidon found himself taking long steps toward them, leaning down and resting a hand on their back. They jumped at the contact, whipping their head toward Sidon. 

“East Reservoir Lake stretches downward for quite a long while. Even if you got to the beast, you would not have enough time to come back up for air on your own!” Sidon explained and watched their face twist with thought as they looked down into the water. 

“ _ What makes you want to go down there anyway?”  _ Link asked, his grip on the edge of the dock knuckle-white. “ _ Trust me, it’s not that pleasant.” _

“I-” They started, eyes flicking to Sidon for a moment before continuing. “When I had my vision, the Goddesses meant for it to be urgent. I thought-” They weighed their words again, knocking their fingers together in their lap. “...it seemed as if something bigger was happening in that moment. I thought if I could get close to Vah Ruta, maybe they’d give me something else to work with.”

The Oracle looked back up to Sidon, smiling almost sadly. “But, you’re right. I wouldn’t make it back up anyways. That wouldn’t do the world any good, now would it?”

Sidon thought for a moment. They seemed incredibly worried about the results of their premonition, and if it would clear their conscience, and possibly even give more information about Vah Ruta’s predicament…

“I could take you down there.” Sidon found himself saying before he could stop. Link and the Oracle both snapped their heads to Sidon, who grew hot under their gaze. The Oracle smiled widely, eyes wide and hopeful.

“Thank you, Prince Sidon.” They said softly, and Link shook his head behind them. “I owe you my gratitude- this is not a light task.” Sidon grinned in response to their words, flashing rows of sharp teeth. 

“That’s why I must be the one to beat its weight! I am prince, after all!” He chuckled as they did the same. 

“ _ Just bring them up as fast as you can. If you’re down there for more than a minute I’m coming down- and I’ll be counting!”  _ Link signed aggressively, obviously full of worry. Sidon nodded, and stood to dive into the water. Sidon jumped, twisting his way to break back up to the surface. He watched their eyes widen with awe. They clapped lightly, and Sidon felt warmth soar through his chest. They dropped their hands and inched closer to the edge of the dock, stopping just at the breach. 

“So, how will this work?” The Oracle asked, a nervous air to their tone. “Moven helped me swim through to the domain, but I have a feeling this will be different.” 

“Yes, we’ll have to swim much faster.” Sidon nodded and tried to shove away the icky feeling of jealousy that crawled beneath his scales.  _ Why  _ was he jealous? He had no reason to be, plus he had just met them. It was just a swim, and they were still practically strangers to one another! Grow up, Sidon. “You’ll have to be as close as possible to reduce drag in the water. We’ll also be going much deeper, so it might be colder for you.” The Oracle nodded, and Sidon tried not to let his gaze linger on the slight flush that spread across their cheeks. Sidon held out a hand as they slipped into the water. Their breath hitched as they bobbled a little lower than expected, and Sidon helped maneuver them onto his back. Link kneeled at the edge of the dock, and the Oracle held out their arm. Link took hold of their forearm, near the crook of their elbow. They did the same with a nod. 

“ _ A minute. That’s it.”  _ He said, signs shorter and more crude with only one hand to work with. 

“A minute.” They echoed, and slipped their hand away. “I’ll be alright, I swear by it.”

“I won’t let them linger too long, old friend!” Sidon smiled confidently, and Link nodded to him. Sidon began to swim away from the dock, closer to the center of the lake. 

“Take a deep breath, and hold on close.” He said and felt their chest expand behind him. One of their hands came up to cup at their nose and mouth, the other stretching over one of his shoulders and across his chest. He held back a shiver and looked back to them with a grin. 

“Here we go!” He said and dove beneath the water. 

The water broke around the pair, Sidon’s legs kicking as hard as they could as his gills stuttered at the sudden change of oxygen intake. He gulped in a breath, tearing deeper down. The Oracle’s legs tightened at his waist as they swam through the water, their right arm flexing with the strain of holding onto him at the speed they were going. After a while, a glowing light came into view. Sidon would have guessed it was Vah Ruta’s eye, but it thrummed a bright red instead of the teal color he knew well. He felt the Oracle stiffen behind him as they swam closer, and Sidon realized it wasn’t _ Vah Ruta’s _ eye, but rather a giant eye of malice. The slitted pupil locked onto the pair as they swam by, and the Oracle held on tighter to Sidon. He felt them tremble, and he hoped it was from the cold instead of fear. He’d never seen an eye this big. He was large for a Zora, and it was easily twenty times his size. He tore past it and saw it covered much of the top of the beast. He swam behind the eye and further down, holding onto one of the notches that expanded past it’s body. The Oracle detached themselves from Sidon and swam toward an opening they saw. 

Sidon swiped forward to grab at their wrist, but they narrowly avoided it. He swam after them, feet planting on the floor below him. It was rough and worn, and combined with the darkness of being this far down, paranoia spread through him. He saw the Oracle not far ahead, and quickly went after them. They were on their knees, straining with a panel on the front of one of the Sheikah pedestals. It glowed a startling orange, but what was more startling was the bubbles escaping from the Oracle’s mouth and nose. Sidon quickly joined them in trying to pry off the panel, unsure as to  _ why  _ but knowing they had to move on soon- they would run out of air much quicker doing this. 

Even with their combined efforts, it still took a moment to pop loose. The Oracle reeled backward with the release and clapped a hand over their mouth. Sidon helped right them, and gaped at what he saw.

Strains of malice covered the wires and gears inside of the pedestal, pulsing and oozing something black into the water. It floated towards their faces and Sidon pushed it away, barely catching how the Oracle pushed their hand past the malice and into the inner workings of the Sheikah technology up to their shoulder. Their mouth opened as they let out a cry, bubbles of precious air streaming past their fingers. Sidon tried to pull them back, but they pressed further in. Their eyes grew red and their other hand scratched at the top of the pedestal, as if trying to pull themselves further into it. Sidon’s nose flared as the scent of iron filled the water and he realized they were  _ bleeding.  _ There was something inside, he realized, and he needed to be prepared to swim like hell to get them out of there and back up where they could  _ breathe _ . 

Sidon placed himself behind them, wrapping his arms around their torso and planting his feet at the base of the pedestal and preparing to push against it. He figured the screws and loose metal would tear at their arm even more on the way out, but this had to be done quickly. He turned close to their ear, and pushed out his words as clearly as he could underwater. 

“ _ When you’re ready.”  _ He said, and they looked behind to his face, century old eyes meeting golden ones. They turned back to the pedestal, digging around further as another muffled cry escaped their mouth. Their eyes widened for a second, beginning to inch their arm out of the path they had made. They brought their left hand on their right bicep and tried to pull, a distraught look spreading across their face. Sidon took this as a signal and began his attempt as well, but as he pushed against the machine, something pulled on their arm with enough strength to pull them both back into the machine. Sidon thudded against their back and felt the little air they had left explode from their chest. He opened his eyes to see an arm of malice crawling up their shoulder and inching toward their face. 

Alright, no more hope of being gentle. 

Sidon braced his feet once more, and pushed with every ounce of strength he had. The strain built as he clenched his teeth, wrapping an arm tighter around their waist and using the other to push against the pedestal. In an instant, they ripped free from the console and soared across the beast and back into the open water. Sidon maneuvered them completely into his arms, one going beneath their knees and the other up their back and cradling their head into his chest. He  _ pushed  _ off of the top of Vah Ruta, the water rushing past them fast enough to make his eyes narrow. When they shattered through the surface, the first thing he heard was their shuddering gasp, followed by marbled coughs as they fought with the water in their lungs. Sidon moved the Oracle till their chin was resting over his shoulder so they could tip their head back and breathe. Link stood abruptly from his spot on the dock, and ran to the edge. Sidon lifted them up and Link took them quickly, turning them onto their side as they continued to cough and gulp down rattled breaths. 

Their hands were tight in their chest, blood pouring off their right from lacerations crawling up to their mid-bicep, white sleeve now stained pink. Link leaned closer to them, hands on their shoulders as they struggled to sit up. 

“What happened?” Link asked vocally, eyes soft and tone warbly. The Oracle looked up at Link with a pained expression and held out their hand. 

In their palm rested an ornate, gold pendant with pearled strings arching off from four points. It looked like it had been broken off of something, with lines and fractures arching up the sides to where the ruby laid in the center. Link took in a gasp, hands shaking at their shoulders. Sidon may have been young when he had seen that last, and it may have only been in story books and history lessons, but the sight of the signature piece of the tyrant’s crown still shook him to his core. 

“Gannondorf,” The Oracle murmured, head falling into Link’s shoulder. He immediately wrapped them into a tight embrace, a look of pure horror that Sidon had never seen on him painting his features. 

“He’s back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the late update! I had to change some stuff in my outline and then exam season hit me like a truck. I'll have chapter four out sooner than later. Thank you for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a lonely moment at the river is interrupted. perhaps it's for the better

It had been a few hours since the dive down into East Reservoir Lake. Most of the night had passed in a blur, your mind becoming foggy as exhaustion covered you like a blanket. At one point you were tripping over your own feet so much that you had to be carried to the medic bay, but you don’t remember by who. Your arm had been treated and wrapped, the only concerning lacerations closer to your hand and wrist. The medic had taken more time to treat you than earlier in the day, most likely sensing your uneasiness after being there twice in one day. You were escorted back to your room in the castle (you didn’t even know you would have a room, let alone one as lavish as this) and were left alone for the remainder of the evening. Link had said he would be with Sidon if you needed him and left you to your own devices. 

You hadn’t spoken much with him since you were at the lake. You had felt his hands tremble against your skin as he held you but other than that he showed no fear to you. You knew better than that, however. In the back of your mind, you had felt  _ paralyzing  _ anxiety growing within the champion, but you had been too worn to address it, let alone soothe his mind. You regretted that now, wondering what else you could have been able to do to help your friend. 

You paced around your quarters, the sun long since set along the coast out of your window. The rest you had relished in before seemed to spur energy back into your bones as you walked back and forth across the floors. Your arm ached as you squeezed both around your waist, trying to ground yourself in your thoughts. You thought back into your time within Vah Ruta trying to remember as much as you could. 

The sudden intense feeling of desperation had crawled across your sternum as you swam through the sunken beast. Something had guided you to a far terminal within, and something even stronger told you to look inside. The urgency was gentle and familiar ( _ Mipha,  _ you had thought as she guided your hand) but paranoid all the same. You had felt a burning like fire across your skin despite how cold it was in the water, and had visions of the Gerudo king as you pulled yourself away. 

You winced as you remembered the way the malice had tried to pull you back, tried to tear you apart. Your arm throbbed as you recalled the way it prodded at your wounds, an evil curiosity towards a Hylian body. Your skin burned hotter as it did, and you knew you had to leave that instant. You thanked Hylia that Sidon had agreed to accompany you, your life had been in his hands and he carried it with such care. 

The skin of your cheeks grew a soft pink as you recalled the way his arms felt around you. Both forearms had completely encompassed your stomach and one of his hands easily cupped your head in place. You knew the Zora were larger than Hylians, but he was  _ so  _ much more than you had imagined. He certainly had the potential to tear you apart, as if you were nothing more than a simple Chuchu, but he handled you so gently. You weren’t accustomed to touch, the most you had ever experienced were holding citizens’ hands as they asked for your guidance in their life and the brief, fleeting moments you had shared with Link. A simple brush of a hand was enough to right you in place and a flush to grow on your cheek. And when Sidon touched you, it felt like he was  _ everywhere  _ at once. 

You shook your head, trying to clear your head of these daydreams. You shouldn’t be thinking of him in such a…  _ passionate  _ way when you were visiting accompanied by such terrible news for his domain. He was so bright and so caring, so devoted to his people and home. You admired this about him, but you were also worried that if the future were to play out the way you foresaw, it would ruin every ounce of optimism within the prince. And you had a sinking feeling that the future might come faster than you could prevent it. 

_ No,  _ you decided firmly. You wouldn’t let that happen. You grabbed your boots by the door and slipped them onto your feet, lacing them with shaking hands. You had to get back to the lake- then maybe you could connect with Mipha. It was a long shot, seeing as she was tethered to the beast far beneath the surface of the water, but you had to try. The Zora Domain might depend on it. 

You opened the door to your chambers as slowly and quietly as you could. After the encounter within the Beast, Sidon and his father thought it would be best to initiate a curfew throughout the domain to keep everyone as far away from the lake as possible. You would have to be quiet to get past the guards at the end of the hallway. You grabbed your satchel and slung it across your form, and closed the door behind you near silently. 

You stepped close to the wall, putting your weight into the sides of your feet to decrease the sounds of your footsteps as you inched closer to the opening. Both Zora guards were facing away from you with spears in hand, ready to defend if necessary. They were purely there for your protection, which is why you felt growing guilt at your actions. 

As an Oracle, you not only can sense the future and paths leading to it, but your connection to the spirits and goddesses allowed you to feel other’s emotions as if they were your own. This also meant that you could take your own thoughts and mental state and push it onto another, relieving them of any anxiety they might feel. This ability came very handy at the moment. You lifted a hand and took a deep, slow breath. A soft white light built up in your palm as you channeled a feeling of calm into it. Words like  _ rest  _ and  _ relax  _ and the urge to  _ sleep  _ were also pumped into your spell before you brought your other hand on top, collapsing your fingers together as the light spread across your skin. You stepped as close as you could to the guards and put a hand on each of their backs, and pushed the light forward into their bodies. 

They whirled around to face you, likely about to ask what you were doing out of your room and about to usher you in, but their eyes soon glazed over and their shoulders hunched, a sort of drowsiness taking hold of them. You smiled at your handiwork and slipped between the two guards, looking both ways down the opposing corridor before tearing through it and taking the nearest flight of stairs out of the castle and into the domain. 

You were caught up in your successful escape attempt that you nearly missed the voices approaching you from the end of the stairwell. You saw their shadows crawl up the opposing wall, their voices becoming steadily louder and easier to understand. You had to hide, and  _ quickly.  _ You looked back up at the stairs you just climbed down. If you went up that way, they’d only spot you on their own path. Your eyes caught on an open window, and an opportunity quickly presented itself. You pushed yourself up onto the ledge and swung your legs through, grabbing on the opposite side and sliding down, holding back a yelp as you felt the pull in your right arm. Your feet dangled below you, shoulders burning with the hold of your weight. You looked down and spotted another window and swung your legs to aim into it. Time seemed to slow as your fingers released from the ledge and you were suspended in the air. The brief reprieve didn’t last for long though, as your feet connected with glass and you rocketed through the shattered pane. Luckily, nothing cut you, but your rear would be sore from the way you connected with the stairs below you. 

You heard the startled cries of the Zora above you as they began to climb back down the stairs toward the sound. You ran down as well, hiding behind the first pillar you saw and tried to control your breathing. With spells like this that took over the mind without said person being open to change, you had to catch them off guard. So, you waited behind the pillar and waited for them to draw closer. You spun around and stretched out your hand, whispering a sharp  _ sleep  _ under your breath as the light traveled forward. Instead of the magic coating your hands like a thin glove, this spread out in a near fog-like state. The Zora made eye contact with you, but as soon as the magic hit them, their knees buckled and they collapsed. You stepped slowly over to them to make sure they really were out, and when you were satisfied you picked up the larger shards of glass on the floor as well as sweeping the remaining out of the window. There was less of a trail this way. 

The remaining hike up to East Reservoir Lake was considerably less interesting. The open section of the domain was completely vacant of citizens  _ and _ guards, so you could walk on the main road. You took this time to really appreciate the expansive beauty of the domain. The way the moonlight flickered across the pathways and arches, all the way down to the water beneath. You thought of your fleeting moments below the main domain, seeing all of the Zora underwater and truly how  _ deep  _ it all went. Everyone here seemed so kind and devoted to their ways, it made you smile. You could see yourself staying longer if the goddess would permit it. You made your way onto the dock, staring over the lake and the waterfalls that poured into it. The dam behind you didn’t even creak under all of the weight of the water, and despite yourself, you felt at peace. 

You sat at the edge of the dock and pulled the satchel from around you and set it at your side. You reached into it and pulled out a small journal and quill, and a small well of ink. You flipped to a new page and began to outline the sight before you into the page. You found that sketching helped connect you to the area you were in and allowed you to more deeply connect with the earth and spirits that reside. Committing the area to memory let you remember where areas of high activity or clarity would reside, and made it easier for you to return. You would also draw the people you consulted, back when you still worked within your village and the spirits that were connected with them. Showing these to your clients would also put them at ease, so it made it all the more worthwhile. 

Once you were satisfied with your landscape, you set the journal beside you and gazed out to the water. You took a deep breath and closed your eyes, watching the lights dance behind your lids. You found when you visualized yourself connecting with the goddesses or spirits, a connection was easier to complete. You needed to speak with Mipha, so you focused on building her face in your mind’s eye. Her yellow eyes reflected the same color as her brother’s, the kind smile she wore, her voice echoing through your ears. You reached out your hand and saw Mipha do the same, stretching with all of her ability towards you, your fingertips barely brushing. You leaned forward, trying to grab ahold of her, but something was pulling her back. You stood and tried to grab onto her wrist. She extended her other arm and held onto you with a vice grip and you pulled her into you hard enough to knock you onto your back. 

When you felt something solid beside you thud into the dock, you opened your eyes. Yours met Mipha’s, the Zora’s color fading into blue wisps that flicked around her form. You scrambled to sit up and help her as well, excitement building in your chest. You had done it. 

“Mipha- are you alright?” You asked as she rubbed her eye. She turned to you nodded, and you sighed in relief. 

“Oh, good. Listen, I need to know about Vah Ruta.” You began and dismissed the way her face fell into a frown. “Why were you pulling me into the terminal? Why was Gannondorf’s crown inside of it? What’s  _ happening,  _ Mipha?” You asked, voice cracking with desperation before you could stop it. You watched as she opened her mouth and began to speak, but no words fell from her lips. You recoiled, as did she. You felt frustration, hot and prickled, growing beneath your skin. 

“What are you- why aren’t you talking?” You asked, standing to your feet. Mipha followed, mouthing out words into the silent air. You raked a hand through your hair to contain some of the anxiety and anger within you. 

“Are you fooling with me, Mipha? What’s going on?” You demanded, watching her jaw click shut. “You  _ know  _ how important these next few days will be,  _ you  _ were the one to call me here!” You began to pace in circles, tension building in every muscle. “So why aren’t you talking!?” She tried to reach for you, but her hand slid through your shoulder. You shuddered at the wave of cold and whipped back around. 

“Vah Ruta-  _ your divine beast-  _ is going to attack and  _ murder  _ everyone in this domain!” You gestured to the city behind you, voice growing in volume. “It will trample through everything you’ve ever known, and you  _ called me here  _ to fix it!” 

“And then-  _ and then- _ ” You took a step toward her but tried to remain where you were. You were getting too angry,  _ too loud,  _ someone would hear eventually. But the words kept tumbling out. “You guided me to evidence that Ganondorf had been here! Not the Calamity-  _ Ganondorf!  _ The one Link has been brought back  _ again  _ and  _ again  _ to kill! But when I ask for your help you give me  _ nothing _ !?”

You stalked toward the end of the dock, brushing past Mipha and grabbing a stone from the edge. “ _ You  _ called me here, you said to find your brother, and I  _ did!”  _ You threw the stone into the lake with all of your strength as you felt tears pricking at your eyes. 

“You  _ have _ to give me more than that! I can’t fix anything without knowing what’s going to break!  _ Mipha, _ people are going to-” You had whipped around to face her again, but instead of her gaze being at your level, it was a good couple feet above you. Sidon stood where his sister once did, with a shocked expression on his face. Your words fell silent, and the tears followed down your cheeks. 

“People are going to  _ what,  _ Oracle?” Sidon asked softly, nearly inaudible in the night air. You turned your head away from him and he stepped closer to you. He called your name and it wavered on his tongue. He sunk to one knee in front of you and placed a large hand on your shoulder. “What is going to happen to my people?” 

Something in the way he spoke to you broke through every wall you had tried to build up to prevent anything like  _ this  _ from happening. Your chest heaved with breaths you tried to hold in as your tears poured faster down your cheeks. You tried to speak again but your face had been pulled into the crook of his neck as his arms wrapped around you once more. You started sobbing then, loud and messy and cracking through your throat. Your hands scratched at your chest as an uncomfortable pressure built in your muscles to  _ do  _ something. You stayed like that for a while, Sidon stroking your back and soothing you quietly. At the end of it all you were sure your face was puffy and red, but he looked at you the same. He rested his palm on your cheek and you couldn’t help but lean into it. 

“Feel better?” He asked, his lilt coming through as he whispered. You nodded, and he sat on the dock. You followed him and couldn’t help how you noticed the way his arm remained around you as you sat beside him. You both sat in silence that wasn’t exactly uncomfortable for a minute or two before you spoke. 

“Two days ago,” You began, wincing at how clogged your throat sounded. You coughed awkwardly. “Two days ago, I was with Zelda and Link in an ambassador meeting. I sit in just in case something is said that causes a connection.” You looked up at Sidon to find him looking at you intently, listening to every word you said. You flushed, and broke eye contact as you continued. 

“They were talking about Malice growing in other ways other than the towers and Shekiah temples, and a Zora woman asked something, but seeing her-” You winced as your head throbbed, remembering the migraine you were fighting that entire meeting. “It sent me into a vision.” 

“The same one that brought you here?” Sidon asked, and you nodded. 

“Vah Ruta was, well,” You worried your lip between your teeth as you thought about how to tell the Prince without making it sound completely hopeless. He must have noticed your hesitation, because his thumb began to stroke over your back. 

“It was rampaging through the domain. It crushed most of the throne room, and many Zora were…” You looked back up at Sidon and he stiffened. He understood. 

“Then, it fired at me. I was turned into malice and sucked into the beast. I saw Ganon’s eyes before Mipha pulled me out and told me to come here and find you.” He frowned slightly, cocking his head. 

“Turned into malice? How?” He asked, and you shrugged. You felt drained with every movement.

“I’m not sure, but that’s what the council thinks happened to those who died in the first battle

against the Calamity a hundred years ago.” Sidon nodded, and faced the river. 

“So you’re here to stop it.”

“If I can,” You admitted, and picked at the skin along your fingernails. “I don’t know how, or even what will happen. I just don’t want any more death to plague this world.”

“You speak so lowly of yourself!” Sidon cried, and he tilted your head to his. You went crimson at the gesture, but he didn’t seem to notice. “Look at all you’ve done so far! You’ve succeeded in warning the people and starting to prepare for a defense! Take some pride in yourself!” He grinned widely at you as he spoke and you couldn’t help a small smile back. 

“I believe in you,” He spoke softer, and your breath caught. “Why can’t you do the same?”

“I’ll try from now on,” You nodded, feeling significantly lighter. “If only to ease your mind.”

“I would be eased a great deal.” He smiled and continued his motion across your upper back until his touch caught on a tear in your sleeve. He frowned at it, turning you gently to see it better. You gasped softly as he handled you, pressing against him to keep yourself righted. “Your clothes-” 

“I’m sorry,” You said before you could stop yourself. “I was going to sew them but I completely forgot. I’ll do so in the morning.”

“Why are you apologising? It can’t be comfortable like this.” Sidon said, and you were confused by his words. “You can’t stay warm for very long like this. Did you pack anything else like this before you left?” 

You felt embarrassed as you shook your head. “No, the only other garment I brought were my prayer robes. I figured I could just wash these, but now…” You trailed off, and he released his hold on you. 

“Well, that won’t do!” He looked over the lake, and smiled when he found the sun was rising in the sky. “Everyone will be out again soon, we can take you to a tailor!” 

“ _ We _ ?” You asked, a little bewildered he would be willing to do such a thing with you. He was prince of the domain,  _ surely  _ he had to be too busy to help you with something as trivial as clothes shopping. 

“Yes, we! I had already cleared everything for the day tomorrow to get to know you better and ask about your visions, and seeing as the last one had already been done, it would be an honor!” He flashed another bright smile before helping you to your feet. “Now, let’s head back! It’ll be full morning by the time we get there.” He was too tall to offer you his arm to walk with, so he let you take just below his elbow instead. You adjusted your hood and began the walk down with him, not exactly knowing what to expect. You felt a little hesitant doing anything other than trying to calm the Divine Beast, but Sidon was probably right. With their damage, your clothes were hard to function properly in. Time at the tailor shouldn’t take too long, right?

  
  
  


You were wrong. 

It turns out, when in a domain without a population of Hylians, they wouldn’t have Hylian fitting garments or fabrics. Who would have thought?

The Zora took a measuring strip to your waist again, clicking his tongue against his teeth as he read the number. Your size amongst your Hylians might be one thing, but nearly every Zora was double your size. (Excluding the pups, of course.) The tailor made marks with a piece of chalk against a fabric you had never heard of before after taking your numbers and folding the piece in half. He began to score the fabric and you were allowed to sit again. Your legs ached after standing so still on a stool for an entire  _ hour.  _ It was well into the morning by now, but Sidon remained in the tailors with you, chatting idly about his life as a Zora and answering any questions you gave him. 

“What about you?” He had asked, and you turned your head as much as the pins in the fabric around you would allow. “What do you mean?” You furrowed your brows as you spoke. 

“Your family, what are they like?” He rested his chin in his palm as he leaned forward in his seat. “Link couldn’t remember anything about his, so I still don’t know exactly what Hylian life is like. You’re so different from us, you know?”

“Well I’m probably not the best Hylian to ask, your Highness,” You said lightly, laughing softly. “I began my training when I was ten, and I haven’t seen my family since. I lived with my mentor, the previous Oracle. She taught me all I know now.”

“That’s awfully young to leave home” Sidon observed and you shrugged in response. 

“I wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t.”

He thought about that answer for a while, going silent. Then he smiled, and said “Then I suppose it was worth it.”

Now you were behind a curtain, getting changed into the clothes that had been made to fit you. They were all white, which you thought was kind considering it wasn’t the easiest thing to do. The shirt was plain, long-sleeved without much detail or flare. But, it was tighter to your body than you were used to. It followed the shape of your forearms up to your shoulders and followed your body’s curves across your waist and chest. Less of a chance of it getting snagged on something, you presumed. The pants were normal, baggy and structured like riding pants typically were, but the sides all had deep pockets and it was cinched at the waist and ankles. You also weren’t expecting the boned corset that fit snug around your torso, stopping at the top of your hips and just beneath your hips. You fastened it around and found that you could still move and bend just as well, but it provided support to your posture and righted you into your center of gravity. You decided you would keep it. 

Something else new- the boots you had been given were a black leather with a thick ribbed sole. You didn’t hate it per say, but they felt strange after walking on smooth, light shoes all your life. You stepped from behind the curtain and chose to leave behind your hood and veil. It didn’t feel right with a more casual attire, so you just tucked them under your arm. The tailor looked you over once before motioning for you to step back up on the stool. You sighed, and did as instructed. 

Sidon looked up at you as you entered the room, and you felt confused as a soft blue hue covered his cheekbones. “You uh-” He cleared his throat. “You look good. Comfortable?” 

You nodded with a faint smile as the tailor snipped away at a few little strands that remained before stepping back with his hands on his hips. 

“I think it looks alright, if I do say so myself. First time working on a Hylian, it was surely a challenge!” He laughed and strolled back behind one of the expansive countertops. “You’re done now, so come back here and I can ring you up.”

You had reached for the bag of coins within your bag, but Sidon put a hand over your own and walked up to the counter himself. You didn’t even get a chance to protest before the transaction was complete and you both were stepping away from the tailor’s shop. 

“You didn’t have to do that, you know.” You said as you walked through the domain beside him. “At least let me pay you back.”

“I wanted to.” Sidon said, and that was the end of it. Your jaw clicked shut as he smiled and offered his arm again to you. You took it, becoming more and more accustomed to the contact. 

“What should we do now?” He asked, and an answer would have surfaced if not for the trembling beneath your feet. The ground began to shake and quiver beneath you as the Zora on the surface scrambled to hold onto something steady. You tore away from Sidon and raced to the nearest balcony, catching the railing in your hands. You leaned forward as far as you could to peer into the water below. The sound of Sidon giving orders and others screaming around you became muffled as you struggled to process the sight below you. 

The Divine Beast was breaching the surface of East Reservoir lake. 

You turned back to Sidon, ducking a piece of debris that fell from a higher level as you made your way towards the Zora. “We have to find Link!” You shouted over the chaos, but he didn’t seem to hear you. You shouted for him again, but heard another heavy crack above you, and thrumming pain spread across your back. You looked up and saw a large section of railing falling quickly towards you, its shadow completely covering you now.

You closed your eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> w o a h, two updates not that far from one another. what has this world come to?!?  
> thank you for checking out my story! leave a comment on what you thought, I live for that good human interaction


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> preparing for battle and constant tension make for good bonding.

Sidon hadn’t heard their shouting over the chaos of everyone around him, hadn’t seen their mouth curve into silent words behind his back, but he  _ had  _ heard the echoing crack of a banister coming loose from a stairwell above him. He  _ had  _ seen the chunk of luminous stone and polished marble careening down towards the floor as Zora pushed past him to get away from it. He  _ had  _ seen the Oracle, his new friend, standing directly beneath the rubble. He felt frozen, limbs turning to ice as his mind swam. He’s normally quick on his feet, charging into battle without a second thought, but the thought of the newcomer, his Oracle,  _ dying  _ in front of him brought him to a standstill. Time seemed to slow as he ran towards them, his movements slowed as if he were swimming through a bog. He screamed their name as he saw their eyes shut, throat dry with panic. 

Something flew past Sidon and time sped back up once more. Link, shield at the ready, now stood with the Oracle. The two of them were surrounded by a bright orange light. The banister flew away from them and down into the ocean, landing with a thud that sounded near soli as it connected with the water. Link grabbed the Oracle’s wrist and pulled them out of the open, back to Sidon. The Zora prince’s mind was still turning, but he forced himself out of his state and guided them away from the commotion. 

“ _ What’s going on? _ ” Link signed quickly, grip returning to his sword handle and placing his shield onto his back. 

“It’s- it’s Vah Ruta, she’s coming out of the-” The Oracle tried to push through their stammering and shuddering breaths, but it came to be unsuccessful. They shook their head rapidly and their hands flapped, trying to regulate themselves. “She’s coming out of- out of the water. Sending shockwaves through the lakebed and to the-” They cut themselves off again with a groan, pressing the heels of their palms into their temples. Sidon leaned down and rested a hand on their back as they gasped, sweat dripping down from their face. He looked, who signed a dramatized version of the word “see”. They were having a vision, Sidon concluded. 

“Take your time,” Sidon said quietly, feeling them tremble beneath his hand. The quaking of the floor had settled some and the captains of the guard were guiding citizens to safe areas along the other edge of the domain. “We have a moment.  _ Breathe,  _ my dear.” Link raised an eyebrow at the endearment, but Sidon paid no attention. The Oracle had occupied all of his mind at the moment. He traveled back to not five minutes ago when they were nearly crushed to death. Sidon had never felt so helpless in his life, stuck in place and unable to move even if it was what he most desired. Even if his own life had depended on it, he didn’t think he’d be able to run. He was thankful for Link’s appearance, but he was deeply frustrated with his own shortcomings. He’d never let that happen again. 

The Oracle righted themselves and wiped their eyes and hairline, combing fingers through their hair. Sidon took his hand away and stepped back to give them space he figured they might need, but secretly wished he could offer that contact even when it didn’t need to be comforting. He found himself longing to be closer to them, to touch them whenever he could. He had to push down that urge, especially at this moment. 

“So,” They said, voice still breathy. “Vah Ruta has stopped her path for now, but we’ve got at most till evening to try and wave her off course.” They knocked their fingers together and pulled at the digits. “After that, it’ll charge toward the domain.” 

Sidon felt a lump form in his throat at their words. They only had the rest of the afternoon? He looked up at the sky to find the sun was no longer at its highest peak. They maybe had four hours to get everything ready, to prepare for a battle against a beast that not even the Calamity could withstand. He had to warn his father and get the guard ready. It was his duty as Prince to the domain. 

“ _ I’m going to try and get in with the travel terminal. Maybe I can still control it. _ ” Link said, face thoughtful as he signed. The Oracle shook their head rapidly. 

“It’s completely offline. The inner mechanisms of Vah Ruta are completely infected with Malice. She’s covered in it, too.” They looked over across the domain and out to the water where the divine beast now stood, barely above the surface of the ocean. Sidon followed their gaze and found that, just like the Oracle said, it was pointing directly at the throne room, just past Mipha’s statue in the center. Link’s hands moved as he signed something back at them, but Sidon didn’t catch it.  _ Why would it come from the front? There’s more to wreck through that way. _ He found himself thinking. He frowned for a second and turned back to the two Hylians. 

“ _ -bow from my room, then I’ll work on picking off the eyes. _ ” The Oracle nodded as Link spoke. “ _ What will you do?” _

“I’m going to try and connect with Mipha once more,” They said, opening their satchel and rummaging through it. They pulled out a couple of elixirs and held the neck of the vials between their fingers. “She couldn’t even speak this morning. If I lend her some of my power, she might be able to gain back control for a moment.”

“ _ A moment is all we would need.” _

“One moment- this can’t be safe!” Sidon cried, arms flailing out. The Oracle looked startled at his outburst, but Link’s expression was unmoving, as per usual. “We’re all doing separate activities, we won’t be able to communicate if something happens!” He locked eyes with the Oracle, and his heart ached like it was held in a vice grip. “My dear, if I fail you once more today I’ll never forgive myself.”

“You-” The Oracle shook their head. “You haven’t failed me, not at all!” They thought for a moment, clearly at war in their mind. Sidon  _ knew  _ it was the wrong time, but he couldn’t help but admire how their lip upturned and forehead creased when they were in deep thought. They were just…  _ cute.  _

“How about this;” They turned back to Sidon. “We give ourselves an hour to try our separate methods, and then we meet back here. That way we can regroup and charge together.” 

Link nodded with a proud smile and punched their bicep. “ _ You’re thinking like a warrior now. I’m proud.”  _ They rubbed their muscle with a soft giggle, then looked back up at Sidon. 

“Your Highness?”  _ Goddess,  _ those eyes. Old and all-knowing, but wide and hopeful all the same as if their constant plaguing of the damning future had no impact on their optimism. The Zora sighed and rubbed just beneath his crest. He was still not a fan of this idea, but they were settling to ease  _ his  _ mind. He had to give them something. 

“Alright,” He said, waving his hand. The Oracle broke out in a wide grin only to be stopped by the prince. “But  _ only  _ if- you stop calling me by Your Highness all of the time. Call me Sidon, friend.” They nodded, that smile coming back to their features. This one was soft, however, meant completely for him.

“Agreed, Sidon.” They took a step back, body turning to run the other way before hesitating. “One hour,” They clarified, holding up their index finger. “Then we’re back here. No later.”

“One hour,” Sidon echoed, a little breathless with the way his name sounded on their tongue. Light and fitting as if it was made to roll from their lips. He felt a blue flush travel to his cheeks, but he was too enamored to pay any mind. 

“ _ One hour.”  _ Link signed beside him and turned back to the castle. The blond Hylian took off in a sprint, and the other remained. They nodded, and ran off on their own path. Sidon was stuck in place for a moment (that seemed to be happening a  _ lot  _ to him today) and started towards the throne room to dawn his armor and talk with his father, hoping that this would give them some chance of all coming out unscathed. 

-

Link had fought off a lot of Malice in his time, what with freeing all the beasts and unlocking all twelve towers, but this was an  _ absurd  _ amount. 

He notched three arrows onto the bow he had nabbed off the Lynel on his previous visit. The bomb arrows fizzed near his fingers before he let them fly with a  _ whoosh  _ of breath. He watched them land and explode on impact, taking out a good twenty eyes with the one shot. The Malice burned under the flames and the web-like pattern retreated away from the place of impact before slowly inching back into place as soon as the wind blew the fire away. New eyes popped from the veins and Link  _ swore  _ something awful inwardly. This happened with normal arrows along with ice-tipped and charged ones. The fire didn’t take out nearly enough at one time, and he was  _ so sure  _ bombs would work. He reached back to grab another bundle and notch it, but an idea occurred to him. 

He stood, keeping the bow close to his chest. The Oracle (he had tried many snow-themed puns with them, like Powdered and Drift, but they had all been shot down vehemently upon hearing them. Link had liked them, at least.) was right about the travel gate and outside of the beast- they were both inaccessible at the moment. The Malice kept spreading despite his best efforts, but that had to mean there was something healing them. He looked over at the beast, which was no longer kneeling on the ocean floor. With it standing to attention, Link could see a  _ massive  _ eye resting beneath Vah Ruta’s belly. It mirrored the one on its back, but this one was open.  _ If I took that one out,  _ Link thought to himself, clambering down the hillside and picking up a large leaf on his way.  _ Then the connection would stop. The Malice wouldn’t heal anymore and I could get inside. But I’ll be pinned, so how will I get out of there quickly?  _

The Sheikah Slate on his hip  _ ping _ ed as he passed the shrine. He looked at it, and then tapped his slate on the terminal. It glowed blue as the travel gate was registered to his map. Link grinned.  _ Perfect.  _

-

Being Prince of the domain came with good perks. The citizens of the domain respected him and listened well when he told them to follow the guards out of their homes. He knew it was not an easy thing to ask of them- leaving behind everything you know potentially forever, but they complied well after a brief moment of pleading. Sidon was helping an elderly Zora woman collect a box of journals that she had crafted herself when he heard his father’s voice echo from the throne room. He gave his apologies to the woman before taking off to talk with him. He had asked the general to tell his father what was happening, and if any issues were to arrive to fetch him immediately. He couldn’t help the growing anxiety that knotted in his stomach. 

“You called for me?” Sidon asked as he stepped up to the throne in front of him. “What’s happened, has the beast moved.” 

“It’s only standing now, you can relax my son.” King Dorephan frowned, eye line not leaving the ocean. “I just want to hear your idea of what we’re to do if we can’t hold back Vah Ruta in time.” 

“We will, father!” Sidon was lost- did his father not think they could pull this off? “Link is at the beast now, the Oracle is trying their best to soothe Mipha, and we’re prepared to tear it down if need be! We will do this!”

“I know but- just in case, Sidon.” King Dorephan sighed, his massive chest heaving with the effort. “If the domain is destroyed, what will you do?”

Sidon bit his tongue from lashing out again. “Well,” He folded his arms, the metal of his breastplate cold against his scales. “I will follow what you think is best for our people.”

“And if you have to make that decision for yourself?” His father looked to Sidon finally, and the younger Zora noticed how tired he looked. 

“I won’t have to, but-” He continued on when he saw Dorephan go to ask him  _ just in case  _ again. “But if that does happen, I would keep everyone together. We can rebuild, a person is more important than a building.” 

King Dorephan smiled and looked back out to the water. 

“You have your sister’s determination. I’m thankful for that.” Sidon thanked his father, and after a minute of silence took his leave. The anxiety only twisted tighter as his father’s questions weighed heavy on his shoulders. Nothing would happen to the domain, and nothing would happen to his father. 

Right?

-

You gasped, your headache feeling more like an axe to your forehead now than a hammer. You leaned forward and rested your head in your hands, a nudging at your shoulder beckoning you back. 

“You should drink,” the Zora said, holding a leather flask in her hands. You thanked her and drank from it, near crying with relief as the cool water soothed your dry throat. She nodded and looked over the Veiled Falls. 

“If you don’t mind me asking,” She began, voice quiet and timid. “Why are you trying to talk to Lady Mipha here? I was taught she was tethered to the divine beast.” You hummed to yourself. It was a valid question, but not the one you were expecting. You shifted your weight to face her easier. 

“Sometimes, instead of people talking to me,” You began, your face growing hot with embarrassment as her eyes snapped to yours, eager and attentive. “They pull me to somewhere or something I need to retrieve, or know.” The Zora nodded and looked over the small lake where the falls poured into. “And, Lady Mipha told you to come here?” She asked, leaning closer to the water’s edge. You shrugged your shoulders. 

“Not exactly- it’s like if someone tied fishing wire to your heart.” She looked back at you, clearly confused. “It doesn’t pull, and you can walk away as far as you’d like, but it will always be there. It’s hard to ignore.”

“Ah, I understand.” She said, tapping her chin as she looked out to the falls and the shrine in the middle. Her eyes lit up and she whipped back around, taking your hands in hers. The movement surprised you, and you nearly tipped backward. 

“I know why Lady Mipha led you here! Please, give me one moment!” She left your side and dove into the water, excitement and childlike joy radiating from her. You took another drink from the waterskin as you waited for her to resurface, her blue scales blending in well with the deep water. When she resurfaced, it wasn’t by you, but all the way on the surface of the shrine. She held a trident in her hand that she  _ certainly  _ didn’t have a moment before. She jumped back into the water and swam back to you, thrusting the trident forward. 

“This is a Lightscale trident, one like it was wielded by Lady Mipha herself!” Your hands slowly grasped the handle, the cold of the metal shocked you, but you were still utterly bewildered. 

“But- I don’t know how to use a trident, I’ve held a sword once!” You said, looking at the three points at the front. Its red design sparked something in you, but you couldn’t quite place it. 

“Well, Lady Mipha led you to it, I’m sure she’ll help you in battle.” The Zora smiled brightly and you gave a small one back. 

“Thank you,” You said truly, and tipped your head to the side. “What was your name?” She giggled and kicked her feet a little in the water. 

“I’m Laruta, your Grace.”

-

Link swiped the korok leaf as hard as he could across the back of the sail, soaring from beneath the divine beast as the Malice let out a noise akin to a scream. The raft bobbed and leaned threateningly across the waves of the ocean, teasing the thought of throwing the Hylian overboard. He grabbed the shaft sticking from the center of the makeshift boat and looked back to the divine beast, finding Malice spewing from its belly. Link squinted his eyes and saw that the giant eye that was once there, now nothing more than a cloud of purple smog. Link threw his fist in the air in celebration, but another quick look at the divine beast made him aware that  _ every single remaining eye  _ was now looking at him. 

_ Not great, _ he thought, taking his bow and firing off one arrow after the next, delighted in the fact that they weren’t coming back but increasingly worried about the countless skeletal heads that were now being spit out at him. He took his sword from his sheath and raised it to the sky, feeling Urbosa’s spirit channel through his veins as a large tunnel of electricity came around him and expanded outward, picking off a sizable portion of the Malice-controlled Stal monsters. But, they kept coming, and he only had so many times he could summon lightning from above before one would come and strike him. 

Link was getting ready to charge out another round of lightning when he heard the familiar sound of arrows whizzing past overhead. He looked up and a barrage of arrows, ranging in ability, were flying toward the beast and knocking out many eyes. Link whirled his head around to see Sidon at the cliffside, with the Oracle beside him and a good hundred archers reloading their bows. Link grinned as he dug out the slate at his hip, selecting the shrine back in the domain. He felt his feet lift from the raft as the wind started to blow through him, some deep connection he had within to the Sheikah carrying him through the air and back beneath the throne room. 

_ Maybe they had a chance after all. _

-

The trident wasn’t as heavy as you thought it would be. It stood taller than you did, and with the large forks at the end, you thought the top of it would pull you into the ground as soon as you tried to lift it. But it was well balanced, centered at the small ridge for a handle in the upper third of the weapon. Sidon had gaped when he saw you wielding a mock-up of his late sister’s trident, but you weren’t sure why. The weaponsmith made these upon request, to your knowledge, so you weren’t quite sure why he had looked so shocked. 

Pushing that thought out of the way for the moment, you refocused on the sight in front of you. Arrows arched through the air overhead and pierced through the malice covering Vah Ruta. Eyes puffed and burst into smoke on impact, the veins of purple disappearing with them and steadily revealing more of the ancient machine beneath. You smiled fondly, watching Link be assisted back to shore. He shoved the dark blue hood away from his face as he raced up the hill towards you and Sidon. The Prince called off half of the archers to return to the throne room in order to continue building up defenses around the front entrance of the domain, and the portion closest to the bridge split off in an instant. 

A burning sensation built in front of your sternum, the same one that had spiked in intensity before when you were walking back to the domain from the falls. You would have doubled over if Laruta hadn’t caught you, the embarrassment making your face burn. You pressed the heel of your palm up to your chest, trying to soothe the building ache but remaining unsuccessful. You sighed and dropped your hand, and turned to face Link as finished his journey back up to you. 

_ “You were right, everything’s completely offline.”  _ The Hylian panted, whipping out the slate from his hip and swiping his finger across the glass until a map popped across the device. It was blank, red triangles flashing across your vision. The burning grew as you watched, your hand coming up to grip at your chest. “ _ I can’t even access the map anymore. It’s like it’s not being powered at all.”  _

“That’s certainly strange,” Sidon hummed, leaning over your shoulder to get a closer look at the slate. “It has to have some sort of energy running through it, or it wouldn’t have been able to move whatsoever.” Sidon turned to look at you, golden eyes flashing with confusion. “What do you think?”

“I-” You bit back a groan. Your lungs and diaphragm moving behind your ribs were seemingly enough to aggravate the burning behind your hand. You coughed into your free arm, feeling the bandages beneath the fabric as the trident tipped with the movement. Each cough brought another, wheezing breaths being all you could manage in between. “I don’t-” You tried again to speak, but the pain in your chest shot back into your spine and up to your head. You dropped your gaze as your legs threatened to give from underneath you. Sidon grabbed your shoulders and helped you to sit on the ground.  __

“Are you alright?” Sidon asked, panic-stricken. You waved him off, but you heaved as more coughs rocked through you. His hand spread across your back, a motion that now felt increasingly familiar, as you tried to push through your fit. A choked “F-fine,” is all you could manage as you tried to shove air back into your lungs. Once your lungs calmed slightly, you glanced up at the two men looking at you with worried expressions. 

“Probably a vision. Big one,” You wheezed, pushing against the ground as you tried to stand on shaking knees. “Need to get to the lake-” 

“I can’t advise that, Oracle,” Sidon frowned as he pushed you gently back to a sitting position. “You’re trembling, you surely won’t be well if it gets any more concentrated than it already is.” He kept his hand firm on your back and your weight on him, but his left hand slowly wormed the trident from your right and slid your hand into his. Despite the amount of pain you were in, you felt  _ safe  _ here, warm and protected. 

“I’ve got you,” He murmured, leaning down to further envelop you in his grip. “Slip away, I’ll be here when you awake.” The pain spiked again and you couldn’t help the way you gasped and your head tipped back for air. He shushed you carefully, rubbing his thumb across your shoulder blades. “Slip away,” He said again, and you found yourself doing just that. 

  
  
  


It was dark. Overwhelmingly so, almost blinding as a chill swept through you and pricked across your skin. Your ears felt full of cotton, and a rushing feeling beneath and all around you told that you were somewhere underwater. A pulling feeling threatened to yank you backward, but you stepped forward. Where  _ were  _ you?

_ Within Vah Ruta, young one. Come and join me.  _

You jumped, sticking your hands out in front of you as you tried to feel for anything- any _ one _ , to guide you. The voice hadn’t come from outside, but rather deep within your skull as if it were your own. It was one you hadn’t heard before, yet familiar all the same. You felt paranoia grow within you, no longer grounded by Sidon’s touch. His words rang through your head, clear and comforting. 

_ “I’ll be here when you wake… I’ve got you… You’re safe” _

You walked forward again, newfound confidence soaring through your veins. You knew Vah Ruta well enough, you would find the man calling for you soon enough. 

You reached out your right hand, fingertips grazing across the textured walls of the Divine Beast. Each curve and ridge bouncing beneath your touch and pulling you forward. Finally, something solid. You were soon met with a doorway as the wall arched away from the inner hul and toward the body of the beast. You stepped through, and as soon as your foot crossed the entryway a blinding light flooded your vision. You shielded your eyes and turned away, wincing at the pain. 

A deep voice boomed out in laugher, reverberating through the Divine beast. You slowly brought down your arm, blinking and squinting as you adjusted to the light. 

“You know,” the man began, sounding confident and sure of himself. “I thought it would be at least  _ some  _ form of a challenge to get into Vah Ruta, seeing as her paladin still remained inside, but here we are!”

“Who are you?” You called out, inching forward. The light was still blindingly bright, and you could only make out the figure’s back, which was turned to you. “What do you mean ‘still inside’? What is your business here?”

“ _ So many questions,”  _ the figure clicked his tongue in annoyance. “Aren’t you supposed to know these things? Your predecessors did, at least. Or is your power dwindling with time?”

“What do you know of my predecessors? Who  _ are  _ you!?” Your voice steadily increased in volume as you became more desperate. You had an idea of who this was, but you sincerely hoped it was merely a malevolent spirit. Besides, the man you thought of was buried deep beneath Hyrule castle. How could he be here? 

“You’re correct,” He hummed, turning to you at last. The light dimmed some, and you could make out a mane of bright red hair about his head.  _ No.  _

“I  _ was  _ buried, long ago,” Ganondorf, the King of the Gerudo, kneeled before you. He took your jaw in one massive hand and lifted you off the ground as he stood. “But when that  _ foul princess  _ sealed my form away, she lost her connection to the goddess. It revived me, deep within the sewers, rotting along with the waste.” You grabbed at his fingers as they tightened at your throat, trying to get out of his grip. You looked down into his eyes and found they were filled with  _ rage.  _

“And your precious hero, when he was killed by my machines so long ago, lost his own!” Ganondorf  _ laughed,  _ swinging you with him as he turned and walked closer to the terminal. “It was rather easy to snatch back up, but you know what I realized after so many decades?”

He dropped you, your head thudding against the wall. You coughed and rubbed your throat, glaring up at the Gerudo man. 

“There’s always been something missing,” He held up his palm, and you gasped as the image of the triforce,  _ completed,  _ floated above his hand. He wasn’t bluffing. 

“ _ You”  _

“Liar! _ ”  _ You spat, voice hoarse. “There’s no fourth triforce, even you and your power-crazed  _ madness  _ have to know that!”

“Then what is your power?” He grinned wickedly, swiping away his hand and bending down your level. He towered over you, even when on the ground. “The goddess provided a power that would be handed down through generations, constantly ready for a new iteration,  _ think about it!”  _ Gannon stormed away from you, up and marching in an instant as his arms swept in a grand gesture. 

“ _ Four  _ domains,  _ four  _ great fairies,  _ four  _ spirit orbs,  _ four  _ great dragons!” He whirled around to you, but remained across the room. “Why would we be any different!?”

“ _ Liar! _ ” You howled, tears building in your eyes. 

“ _ Really,  _ now?” Ganon grinned and stretched out his hand to you. Your chest  _ burned,  _ and you screamed with the pain. You were lifted from the floor and pulled through the air until you were a meer foot from Ganon. You sobbed, shuddering with the effort. You’ve never felt pain like this, twisting and burning and  _ scorching,  _ like a bomb planted within your bones that shattered through your entire body. 

“Open your eyes, Oracle,” Ganon commanded. You wanted to resist, but a soft glow from in front of you piqued your curiosity. You cracked open your eyes, and gasped at the sight in front of you. 

A golden triangle, upside down, floated in front of you. Ganon laughed wickedly, voice booming through the Divine Beast and through your body. It all became muffled as your vision narrowed, focused on the shard of triforce in front of you. It was  _ impossible _ . 

“No, it’s not.” Ganon shook his head, grabbing the collar of your shirt and lowering you to the ground. You stumbled, barely catching yourself. 

“But soon you won’t have to hold this burden.” You opened your mouth about to demand an explanation before his hist drove into your sternum, sending you  _ flying  _ backward. 

  
  
  


Your eyes snapped open to the setting sun, the sky orange above you. You shot forward from where you had been lying on the grass. You saw Sidon beside you and Link by him from the corner of your eye, and ignored their calls of worry as you clambered to your feet. 

“It’s Ganon,” You said shakily, turning to face the two beside you. Sidon’s face fell into one of shock and Link’s expression hardened. “He’s within Vah Ruta- we need to go,  _ now. _ ”

“ _ We? _ ” Link signed and you nodded. 

“I have full faith in your abilities, champion, but are  _ not  _ facing him alone.” You turned to Sidon, fighting the urge to melt into him as you had before your vision. “Do you have an armory?”

“Uh-” Sidon shook his head clear of the hesitation that had been building. “Yes, I’m sure we can find something to fit you two.”

“ _ I have my own, _ ” Link quipped with a shrug. “ _ I guess I can’t fight you both coming with. How long have we got now?”  _ He asked you, and you shook your head.

“Not long,” You bent down and plucked the trident from the floor. You were surprised by how energetic you felt after that vision, adrenaline pumping through you like it were blood in your veins. 

“We need to be quick,” Sidon added, eyes flicking to the weapon in your hand. 

“We will be,” You said affirmatively.

_ The entirety of Hyrule might depend on it now.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really liked this chapter! It was fun to include rotating perspectives, even if it made it drag on a little longer than normal. Sidon is slowly coming to terms with his feelings for you, but you're a little oblivious.   
> New update should come soon! In the meantime, leave a comment! I love interacting with you guys. 
> 
> Come chat on tumblr! @jupiterdrabbles


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